How to spot a supernova

Starting this weekend, the closest supernova found in
at least 25 years will be visible from your backyard with just
binoculars or a small telescope. The
exploding white dwarf star is currently brightening in the Pinwheel
Galaxy, nestled, from our perspective, within the Big Dipper.

Astronomers found the type Ia supernova on 24 August within hours,
they believe, of its explosion, as observed from Earth. The team
from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and University of
California, Berkeley, credit the early detection to a specialised
survey telescope at the Palomar Observatory in Southern California
and advanced computing.

Most supernovas spotted at the Palomar Observatory are around 1
billion light-years away, far too distant to be seen by amateurs.
At only 21 million light-years away, the newly discovered,
violently exploding star is a close cosmic neighbour. In the video
above Berkeley Lab's Peter Nugent describes how to spot this
supernova, set to reach peak brightness on 9 September.